9/11 survivor stresses importance of decision-making

Published: Thursday, August 21, 2014 at 10:34 p.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, August 21, 2014 at 10:34 p.m.

“We had no clue,” said Joe Dittmar, a survivor of the attack on the World Trade Center, describing the decisions that some people who were in the building made that day. “Each and every one of you knew way more about what was going on outside and inside those buildings than those of us that were right there.”

Joe Dittmar, a 9/11 survivor, shares his dramatic experience during the terrorists attacks as he speaks Thursday night at the J. Smith Young YMCA/

Dittmar shared his experiences, emotions and the lessons learned during 9/11 at the Lexington Christian Women's Connection “Let Freedom Ring” guest night on Thursday at J. Smith Young YMCA. He stressed the importance of making good decisions and the impact those decisions can have on your life.

“Decision are critical in every aspect of your day-to-day existence,” Dittmar said “The information you bring to the decision-making process affects that process in ways more important than you would ever know...My decision-making expertise was tried, tested and galvanized on Sept. 11, 2001. My ability to be here today is testament to making solid decisions.”

Dittmar said was attending a business meeting on the 105th floor of Two World Trade Center on 9/11. He described when the first plane hit the North Tower, there was no indication that anything was wrong, except for a flickering of the lights. He told how people didn't want to leave, how many people remained in their offices after an announcement told them the incident had been contained to the North Tower. He remembered seeing colleagues waiting for the elevator at the Sky Lobby on the 78th floor and explained how making good decisions saved his life that day.

“I got down to the 78th floor and there was Mary (from the meeting) screaming out to me,” Dittmar said. “She said, 'I'm not walking down 78 floors in these ... shoes'. Finally some common sense took over my brain ... and went back to the fire stairwell. It was probably the best decision I ever made in what is still my life because I was somewhere between the 75th and the 72nd floor when the second plane plowed into our building.”

Dittmar described how it felt to be in the stairwell of the South Tower when the second plane hit between the 78th and 82nd floors.

“I have never felt anything like that in my life, and hope to never feel anything like it again,” Dittmar said. “That (stairwell) shook from side to side, handrails (were) pulling away from the walls, steps (were) undulating like waves underneath our feet. We felt this heat ball going by us, we smelled jet fuel and this thing is just rocking back and forth.”

Dittmar was one of seven survivors out of 54 people who attended the meeting on the 105th floor that day. He said he shares his experiences to keep the voices, spirits and memories of the 3,000 victims of 9/11 alive and to never be forgotten.

He said he wants people to understand that, although his experiences are extraordinary, you don't have to go through catastrophic events for a decision to impact your life.

“Every decision is important no matter how big or how small it might seem,” Dittmar said. “A decision can change your life and the life of others in ways way beyond what you could ever imagine ... Making the right decision is not easy but if you trust yourself, your gut, your resources, your heart, your mind, your soul, and your savior, you can make a critical decision that can have tremendous, successful results. I am here today, alive and fortune to be able to share all of this with you because of the series of decisions made in the most critical of situations.”

Sharon Myers can be reached at 249-3981, ext, 228 or at sharon.myers@the-dispatch.com. Follow Sharon on Twitter: @LexDisptachSM

<p>“We had no clue,” said Joe Dittmar, a survivor of the attack on the World Trade Center, describing the decisions that some people who were in the building made that day. “Each and every one of you knew way more about what was going on outside and inside those buildings than those of us that were right there.”</p><p>Dittmar shared his experiences, emotions and the lessons learned during 9/11 at the Lexington Christian Women's Connection “Let Freedom Ring” guest night on Thursday at J. Smith Young YMCA. He stressed the importance of making good decisions and the impact those decisions can have on your life. </p><p>“Decision are critical in every aspect of your day-to-day existence,” Dittmar said “The information you bring to the decision-making process affects that process in ways more important than you would ever know...My decision-making expertise was tried, tested and galvanized on Sept. 11, 2001. My ability to be here today is testament to making solid decisions.”</p><p>Dittmar said was attending a business meeting on the 105th floor of Two World Trade Center on 9/11. He described when the first plane hit the North Tower, there was no indication that anything was wrong, except for a flickering of the lights. He told how people didn't want to leave, how many people remained in their offices after an announcement told them the incident had been contained to the North Tower. He remembered seeing colleagues waiting for the elevator at the Sky Lobby on the 78th floor and explained how making good decisions saved his life that day.</p><p>“I got down to the 78th floor and there was Mary (from the meeting) screaming out to me,” Dittmar said. “She said, 'I'm not walking down 78 floors in these ... shoes'. Finally some common sense took over my brain ... and went back to the fire stairwell. It was probably the best decision I ever made in what is still my life because I was somewhere between the 75th and the 72nd floor when the second plane plowed into our building.”</p><p>Dittmar described how it felt to be in the stairwell of the South Tower when the second plane hit between the 78th and 82nd floors.</p><p> “I have never felt anything like that in my life, and hope to never feel anything like it again,” Dittmar said. “That (stairwell) shook from side to side, handrails (were) pulling away from the walls, steps (were) undulating like waves underneath our feet. We felt this heat ball going by us, we smelled jet fuel and this thing is just rocking back and forth.”</p><p>Dittmar was one of seven survivors out of 54 people who attended the meeting on the 105th floor that day. He said he shares his experiences to keep the voices, spirits and memories of the 3,000 victims of 9/11 alive and to never be forgotten.</p><p>He said he wants people to understand that, although his experiences are extraordinary, you don't have to go through catastrophic events for a decision to impact your life. </p><p>“Every decision is important no matter how big or how small it might seem,” Dittmar said. “A decision can change your life and the life of others in ways way beyond what you could ever imagine ... Making the right decision is not easy but if you trust yourself, your gut, your resources, your heart, your mind, your soul, and your savior, you can make a critical decision that can have tremendous, successful results. I am here today, alive and fortune to be able to share all of this with you because of the series of decisions made in the most critical of situations.”</p><p>Sharon Myers can be reached at 249-3981, ext, 228 or at sharon.myers@the-dispatch.com. Follow Sharon on Twitter: @LexDisptachSM</p>